User equipment has advanced so as to perform multiple functions such as communicating voice and data with others; exchanging text messages or multimedia messages; sending e-mails; capturing a still or moving image; playing back a music or a video file, playing a game, and a receiving a broadcast signal. Lately, such multi-functional user equipment has received greater attention for new applications. Instead of using multiple independent devices, a user prefers to use single multifunction-enabled user equipment. Portability and/or mobility should be considered in design of user equipment, but such user equipment has limitations in size. Accordingly, there also are limitations in display screen size, screen resolution, and speaker performance. In order to overcome such limitations, an external device having a large display size, better speaker performance, and connectable to a mobile terminal has been introduced. Such external device connected to the mobile terminal can provide data, music files, and other content stored in the mobile terminal in better performance. Lately, various types of applications for controlling a coupled external device have been introduced. Such applications might not need to be performed when user equipment is not coupled to an external device. Furthermore, an application for utilizing features of user equipment in a standalone mode might not need to be performed when user equipment is coupled to an external device. Such applications for a coupled external device and applications for user equipment in standalone mode might need to be controlled differently according to a connection state between the user equipment and the external device.